"Duo will ein Pinguin sein."

Translation: Duo wants to be a penguin.

[the.akaneko]

Aw, can we get him a penguin suit as another costume option? He hasn't gotten anything new in his wardrobe in ages...

[ffoxes]

Please give ne things to spend Lingots on. Especially costumes.

[lynettemcw]

I agree. But that is also a comment which has to be made directly to Duolingo. This is not a forum that is ever monitored by people who do that sort of, non language specific program design. But I have always been amused by the people who beg users to give them lingots when they are given out rather consistently but there's not much to spend them on. I wish my checking account had as many dollars as I have lingots.

[DhananjayVarma]

I know I'm not technically correct, but shouldn't "Duo wants to BECOME a penguin" be accepted, as they convey roughly the same meaning?

[lynettemcw]

Roughly the same meaning is not what Duo is looking for. They want the most direct translation. Consider them like a taskmaster who will tell you that if they wanted to say become, they would have. Duo will ein Penguin werden is Duo wants to become a Penguin.

[borQhuester]

Clarification on the grammer, bitte- if Pinguin is masculine, why is the sentence not "Duo will 'einen' Pinguin sein."? Danke.

[lynettemcw]

What you want takes a direct object, and therefore the accusative case. But what you want to be takes nominative case. I think sein lends its linking verb attributes, but that's just a guess. I actually never thought about it before. Learning a language from your environment has advantages and disadvantages.

[borQhuester]

Vielen Dank!

[narion_k]

Basically that's right: sein takes the nominative case. "Ich bin ein Mann", not "einen Mann". Adding "wollen" never changes the case, so you would say "Ich will ein Mann sein."

[Michal.Polak]

Duo has an identity crisis.
Duo hat eine Identitätskrise.

[LandaWalsh]

Yeah a penguin that has a shopping mall and a palace in Austria and a new plane every week and a jet...

[xyHh2]

There will be a Linux version of application!

[John865480]

I'm not a softy! But I find use of Duo as a character grating

[CatBus21]

Duo steals the penguin's suit because he wants to be a penguin. This Owl is brutal!

[alkisax]

Aber ich möchte ein Eisbär sein im kalten Polar

[lynettemcw]

Dein Deutsch stimmt nicht. Polar ist ein Adjektive in beide Sprachen. Deiner Satz hat keinen Sinn. Und die Syntax stimmt auch nicht. Du möchtest ein Eisbar im kalten Nordpol sein. Ich, aber, nicht. Ich mag kein kaltes Wetter. Deshalb wohne ich in San Diego, wo es warm und sonnig ist.

[mizinamo]

am Nordpol oder in der Arktis, nicht im Nordpol.

[lynettemcw]

Absolutely. It was a 5 AM typo.

[qwertyface]

dont we all duo